Consequences
by KaylaBeckett93
Summary: *AU* Kate goes to the Hamptons with Rick for four days.  She returns to the city for work, while he stays back to finish his book.  It's Fall now, & she hasn't heard from him in two months.  Now, she has to deal with the consequences of their trip alone.
1. Chapter 1

**It's been three months since she's seen him, two months since she's spoken to him. One month since she realized just how that trip would change them both.**

**X X X X X**

She sat at home, _Temptation Lane_ keeping the silence out of her apartment. It might have been on, but she wasn't paying attention. Instead, she was staring at her reflection, cast of the shiny plastic of the side of the television. Gosh, she looked awful.

On her days off, she would rarely leave the house. On occasion, she decided she should get some fresh air, a little bit of exercise, just so she wasn't sitting around feeling sorry for herself. Truth was, she was forced to take extra days off; she only worked four days a week now, unless she was called in. Unluckily for her, they had no case.

The shrill ring of her phone startled her, but she reached eagerly for it all the same.

"Beckett."

"Wow, you never used to get that excited over a dead body," Esposito chuckled from the other end, causing her to grin.

"Well, when you're stuck at home on Captain's orders, life gets a little dull," Kate replied, "What have you got?"

She quickly scrawled down an address, hung up her phone and began to organize herself. She moved surprisingly quick, considering, pulling on some clothes, collecting her badge, gun and keys before she headed out the door.

Within ten minutes of getting the call, Kate was already on her way to the latest crime scene. As she stopped at lights, she pulled her phone out and hit the first speed dial button, then froze.

No, he wasn't going to come to the crime scene. He hadn't in months. As far as Kate Beckett knew, Richard Castle hadn't even been in New York City since late May. It was now mid-September, and she was yet to see him after she returned from the Hamptons and left him behind.

There was promise of daily calls, and they happened, for a little while. Three weeks maybe, if not four, but that was all. After that, she hadn't heard from him again. It had been difficult to assimilate back into a Castle-less life, after he'd proven to be such a significant addition. Over time though, she was able to accept the fact that he was just like the others; Will, Royce, Demming, they had all disappointed her in the end.

She threw her phone onto the passenger seat in anger, stomping on the accelerator as the light changed to green. Wiping away a tear, she began to weave in and out of traffic, transferring her pent-up emotions to the traffic instead.

Still, Kate could displace it all she wanted. It didn't change the fact that she would always be reminded of him, no matter where she looked. There was always some part of her life that would link to Castle; she'd look at a dog, and remember the time he got excited at the prospect of his own furry friend, named Sherlock, donning a hat, glasses and a magnifying glass.

Every time she heard a bang, she thought back to the night Scott Dunn had blown up her apartment; how the first voice she heard had been the one she'd longed for. She could still almost feel Castle's arms around her body, dragging her from the rubble that was her old apartment to safety.

Whenever she would think of her Mom, somehow he would always be next. It was weird, granted, but it also made a great deal of sense. He was the one who pushed her, the one to convince her there was more to it, and that she didn't have to be consumed by the need for her Mom's justice. He never failed to be so frustratingly annoying, just when she needed him to be. She wouldn't admit it – well, maybe _now_ she would – but she desperately needed him.

Pulling over in the nearest vacant space, she shut off her engine and sat. Just sat, staring at the steering wheel, silent tears making their way down her cheeks. She refused to say she was crying over him, learning a long time ago that no man was worth her sorrow. But hell, how she missed him. As much as she wanted him to come flying through her door, kiss her madly, proclaim his undying love for her, she knew it wouldn't happen. If he did come back, without an explanation, she could never forgive him for what he did.

She'd told him. Told him how she felt, that she had feelings for him, whatever you wanted to call it.

She'd told him.

They spent four days in the Hamptons together, walking and swimming at the beach, sitting inside talking or playing ridiculous board games. Through the nights, there was very little sleeping being done, and Kate had to grin to herself when she remembered just how great he was when it came to bed. Then she scolded herself; that's what got her into this mess.

Now consoled, she sniffed, turned her keys in the ignition and pulled back out. She had to compose herself, she was headed to work. Ryan and Esposito were already being a nuisance; she didn't need to give them any more ammo. It took her only a few more minutes to reach the crime scene, pulling up just by the yellow tape, cutting the engine and sighing back into her seat.

Work was taking a greater toll on her nowadays, with the days seeming longer and her exhaustion greater by the time they finally ended. As she slowly got out of the car, she began to head over, ducking under the tape and pulling her coat closed.

_Wait, it doesn't freaking close anymore,_ she thought to herself, frustrated. Only about two of her many trench coats actually fitted her now; guess she had Richard Castle and her own stupidity to thank for that.

"What's up, baby mama?" Lanie called, looking up from her notes, grinning.

"Lanie, please, not today," Kate muttered, placing a hand on her swollen stomach. It wasn't something she really wanted to draw attention to at work, or at all, for that matter.

A smirking Lanie turned away to continue her exam, as Kate groaned, looking up at the body on the awning.

"I am so glad I skipped breakfast," she murmured to herself, crossing her arms. She'd moved past the morning sickness phase, but that didn't mean she was back to her usual, strong-stomached self.

"I don't think it really matters anymore, sweetie," Lanie said, "at least not for another five months."

"Yes, well, thank you for stating the obvious," Kate chided, turning to her friend, "what can you tell me?"

"She wasn't killed by the fall," Lanie sighed, "rather the multiple GSW's to her torso. As far as identity, she's –"

"Chloe Whitman," Esposito interrupted, walking up to the two women, Lanie glaring, "she's got a boyfriend, Evan Murphy, who's on his way in. Other than that, pedestrians heard the shots and saw her fall out of the window, but there was no doorman, so if someone fled the scene, nobody saw. When the Uni's got here, apartment was empty."

Kate nodded, turning to see Ryan walking toward her, before he paused, gazing into the store next door.

"Hey, it's Castle!"

Her eyes widened and her heart stopped. She felt like she wanted to vomit. It couldn't be him, could it? She was frozen in her spot, while Lanie and Esposito had rushed forward. Lanie gave a backward glance to her, but stayed where she was. Kate felt herself go white and light-headed, the world spinning.

He _wasn't_ back in New York without calling her.

"Oh, it's just a cut-out," Ryan said, a tone of embarrassment and disappointment in his voice.

A wave of relief washed over, as she felt breath make it to her lungs again. She almost made a bromance crack, but thought against it. If she brought up the concept of a relationship with Castle, she mightn't make up to the crime scene. Damn, just thinking of it got her head spinning again.

"Come on, we've got a murder to solve," she stated, before turning on her heel, her awkwardly silent team following closely behind her.

**X X X X X**

After speaking to the boyfriend of Chloe Whitman, Lanie had discovered a note in her hand. It had an address in Tribeca scrawled messily on it, an address which Kate was headed to now, flanked by Ryan and Esposito.

"Address is registered to a Maya Santori," Ryan explained, as they headed up the stairs, "she's clean, no priors."

As she walked along the hall, she noticed an open door, her stomach dropping as she realized it was the one they were searching for. Esposito ran quickly back down the stairs, Kate rolling her eyes. Honestly, there probably wasn't even anyone in there, they didn't need their vests. Well, they didn't need theirs. Still a few minutes later, he returned, already wearing his own Kevlar, and handing one each to both Ryan and Kate.

Drawing their weapons, the boys pushed in front of her, a formation she still wasn't entirely used to, but knew it was necessary. She was actually extremely grateful for her team; they'd worked together for so long now, it was like a second family.

Pushing through the door, guns raised, the immediate room was clear, but there was movement in the next room. Esposito pushed forward to take point, Ryan following on his left flank, Kate on his right.

In a moment, the door was kicked aside, as the three detectives filed into the room, ordering the assailant's hands to be in the air.

"GUN!"

Ryan's shout saw Kate pulling back, her own sidearm still raised, while Esposito knocked his partner's arm out of line.

"Whoa!"

All sets of eyes were on the fourth person in the room, their mouths gaping at their companion.

"Castle?"

"Beckett?"

A moment of indescribable emotion was exchanged between the two estranged partners, before Kate broke the silence.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, as he looked around, flabbergasted, the small caliber gun in his hand drawing too much attention.

"DOWN!"

Castle jumped as the three other guns in the room pointed at him, amongst shouts demanding he drop it.

"Okay, guys, this is not what it looks like!" Castle pleaded, looking pleadingly at Kate, who followed her better judgment and pulled out her handcuffs.

"It never is," she said, moving forward, turning him roughly and slapping the cuffs on his wrists, "Richard Castle, you are under arrest for murder."

**X X X X X**

Back at the 12th, Kate stood in the observation room, watching Richard Castle through the glass. She wasn't sure how this interrogation was going to go.

For starters, it had been over three months since they'd last seen each other. It had been two months since they'd spoken on the phone, their last phone call ending tensely.

"_Rick, when are you coming home?" Kate asked, trying to keep the longing out of her voice. From the frustrated sigh on the other end, she knew she hadn't succeeded._

"_Kate, I told you, I have to finish the book," he said, "and I don't know how long it's going to take."_

_Biting her lip at the acidic tone in his voice, she fidgeted on her bed, lying on her stomach, fiddling with the hair that hung over her shoulder._

_A sigh on the other end caught her attention, followed by his voice._

"_Kate, I'm sorry –"_

"_It's fine," she said curtly, her teeth ravaging her bottom lip._

"_No, it's not," Rick demanded, "I – I'm coming back to the city."_

_Surprise overtook her for the moment, her mouth falling open, her hand dropping onto the duvet._

"_Really?"_

"_Really," he mimicked, "and, uh, without my muse, I'm not exactly getting much writing done."_

_Feeling her cheeks flush, she let a smile spread across her face, as she thought about the premise of Rick coming home. _

"_When will you be back?" she asked through a smile, her hand finding its way back to her hair, twirling it around her finger._

"_Umm."_

_Uh-oh. That didn't bode well. Kate could sense the tension building, and her bottom lip was once again paying the price._

"_Probably not for another week," he explained, Kate absent-mindedly letting a groan escape her._

"_Look, I'm sorry, Kate, but I do actually have work to do, just because _you_ don't seem to think it's important –"_

"_Whoa!" she cried, sitting herself up abruptly, "Where the hell are you getting that from?"_

"_I'm sorry Kate, but I can't just put everything on hold for you, not when it's so overdue," he exclaimed angrily, his voice nearing a growl._

"_I never asked you to!"_

"_Oh really? So every time you called about a body was just orders, was it?"_

"_Rick, I never forced you to come to those crime scenes, you came on your own!"_

"_Well if you didn't want me, maybe you shouldn't have called."_

"_Maybe you should sort out your priorities if this has become such an issue!"_

"_My priorities?"_

"_Yes, your priorities!"_

_Silence erupted from the both of them, Kate fiddling with the corner of her shirt, Rick pressing his palm into his eyes. For what felt like an eternity, there were no words exchanged, as the two tried to figure out what to say. _

_Rick cleared his throat, signaling the silence was over, and then began to speak._

"_So, I'll call you when I get back to the city?" he murmured, Kate nodding absent-mindedly._

"_Uh, okay," she replied, holding back rebellious and unwanted tears, "but, Rick?"_

"_Kate, I have to go, okay?" _

"_Oh, right, yeah," Kate muttered, "lots of writing to do."_

"_Yeah…"_

_There was another moment of silence, but this one was far less uncomfortable than the last._

"_So I'll see you?" Kate asked hopefully, knowing there would be some much-needed talking once he came home._

"_Yeah, see you."_

"_Good night, Rick."_

"_Night Kate."_

That was their last phone call. That was the last time they even spoke. And now he was sitting there, in her interrogation room, looking about as uncomfortable and pained as she was.

If that wasn't enough, he had no idea she was pregnant. Although, that fact he could probably get his head around; it was the part where he was the father she figured he'd have the most trouble grasping.

Taking in a deep breath, and feeling like losing her dinner from last night, she walked quickly and purposefully from observation and into the worst interrogation she was sure she'd ever be subjected to.

**X X X X X**

**So, this little plot bunny came to me in a dream (no, I'm **_**not**_** Stephenie Meyer – sorry Twihards), and it was begging to be written. Never fear, it is not going to be a one shot, it will continue, to where, I don't know. **

**So, read and review? Thanks lovelies!**

**Kayla x**

**P.s. this is story number four on my repertoire, with all the others still going (**_**The Little Things, The Way It Should Have Been**_** and **_**Diary of a Daughter**_**). If you feel like it, check them out (=**


	2. Reminiscing

**Hey guys, thank you so much for the so very many alerts! And special thanks to those who took the time to review (:**

**So, this is AU, starting in 'A Deadly Affair' 3x01. The case is the same, but the happenings are a little different (:**

**X X X X X**

She was angry at him, pissed even. But when he looked her, all the remorse and self-hatred that pooled across his face made that notion evaporate pretty quickly.

_No Kate, he left you,_ she thought to herself, but it didn't work. The only man she'd ever seen cry was her father; now she could add Richard Castle to that list.

But all their personal baggage aside, she had an interrogation to finish. Kate was put on the back burner and Detective Beckett set out to rule the room.

"You've been informed of your rights, Mr. Castle," she began dryly, throwing her notebook on the table and sitting opposite him. She'd told herself that she wouldn't attack him throughout this investigation; she would treat him like any other citizen. Unfortunately, Kate was the sappy one who was still in love, while Beckett knew how to hold a grudge. The latter wanted to rip his balls off and serve them to the tigers at Central Park Zoo. Maybe she could remember that for later if he proved to be childish and insubordinate, but so far, that didn't look like it was going to happen.

"Something's different…"he murmured, looking her up and down, before moving his eyes around the room, squinting at it, "Did you remodel?"

"Mr. Castle," Kate continued, "you do realize you are being arrested for _murder_."

Drawing out the last word brought the sincerity back to the situation, as Castle's face dropped. He knew he was in the wrong, but whether it regarded the murder or not, Kate wasn't sure.

"Kate –"

"How did you know Miss Santori?" she cut in, flipping her pad open to the first blank page, uncapping her pen and waiting. She could play the blame game, she was good at it. After so many years of feeling trapped, cornered by the need to avenge her mother's untimely death, she'd learned that in most situations she could blame herself, but this time there was a different victim. And he'd brought with him a victim of his own, so it seemed.

"I, uh…I bought some sculptures from her from time to time," he explained solemnly, clearing his throat, fiddling with the buttons on his shirt. There was something 'different' about him too, but she couldn't put her finger on it. He seemed haunted, but he was still able to manage a few quips, and every time he met her eyes, he looked quickly away. In those moments though, she could see the hurt, the regret. It almost brought tears to her eyes. Almost.

_Damn hormones_, she thought to herself.

"And what were you doing in her apartment?" Kate asked, shocking both herself and Castle at the spontaneous softness to her voice. She hadn't meant for it, but it was too late to take it back now.

"She called me, said she was in trouble and needed my help," he told her, "she knew about my relationship with you – ah, the NYPD."

_Relationship with you_. Those words echoed around her head for the longest moment, as she stared at him. She felt…strange. She felt like she was floating, that after all this time he could still define 'them'. At the same time, she wanted to cry, for knowing it would not be the same after their incident. The mix-ups were making her head spin, she had a sick feeling to her stomach.

"Kate, are you alright?"

"I'm sorry, excuse me for a moment," she blurted, leaving her things on the table and barging out of the interrogation room. She made a beeline for her desk, practically throwing herself into her chair, head in her hands, taking deep breath after deep breath.

She couldn't do it, she couldn't. If it were anyone else, she would be able to muster up the courage to walk back in there and keep going. Hell, she wouldn't have walked out at all if it were anyone but Richard Castle.

"Beckett."

The sound of her name jerked her head up to find Esposito standing over her. Ever since they found out they were 'going to be uncles' as they'd put it, they'd been extremely over-protective of her, both at work and out. Lanie was fairly hell bent on keeping her safe too, showing up at her house every day to make sure she was still eating and still doing exercise, going to all her doctor's appointments. But, despite how grateful she was, she knew there was someone else who was meant to be doing all of that for her. Someone else who, now that she thought about, hadn't even noticed she was pregnant. Or maybe he did, but was being coy about it.

"Espo, what do you want?"

"Ryan's in there talking to Castle," he explained, "turns out he's not our guy."

She sighed. Was it relief? She guessed so, because she had to fight to keep the smile of her face at the thought he was innocent.

"But, uh," Esposito continued hesitantly, "he said he wants to talk to you."

That's it, she was angry now. She stood up, rampaging for the interrogation room, her strides getting her there in just a few paces. He wanted to abandon her for almost three whole months, then _talk_ to her? Was he really that dumb?

She pushed open the door sharply, to find Ryan and Castle's eyes planted on her. Ryan looked a little afraid, if she were perfectly honest, while Castle looked a mix of both fearful and hopeful.

"You wanna talk?" she growled, "Well, you can call me."

Knowing that only he would understand the malice in her words, she turned and slammed the door behind her. Once again, she found herself at her desk, this time she put Richard Castle right out of her mind. She began to compare notes from crime scene reports, financials, background checks, anything she could use to try and find a connection between their two victims. She glanced to the murder board, allowing her brow to furrow in thought.

_How are a prep school teacher and sculptor even remotely connected?_ she asked herself, not even acknowledging the appearance of Castle, watching him move to the elevator out of the corner of her eye. She could see her eyes on him, and, from his expression, she knew to expect a call tonight.

**X X X X X**

It was 6:30, and Kate was glad to be walking in the door of her apartment. Sighing, she removed her shoes, every night pledging she was going to stop wearing heels. Every day, she managed to walk out of the house in another pair. Unclipping her badge and holster, she moved quickly to her bedroom, deciding she'd shower later. Pulling off her jeans, she poured herself into her favorite sweats that she hoped would still fit her when she was huge.

Slowly, she pulled of her shirt, throwing it aside, before pausing in front of the mirror. It had become a nightly ritual for her, each evening she would stand there, staring at her growing stomach, her swollen breasts (not that many of the guys at the station were complaining about that one) and a butt she never knew she had. Sighing as she pulled on a sweatshirt, she wondered how on earth Castle hadn't noticed these things; he was usually very observant.

Still, Kate had considered her clothing choices for that day. She'd worn her tightest skinny jeans – well, the tightest she could still get on, anyway – to hold herself in. Her shirt had hung loose over her body, and given that she was still only small, it wouldn't have been hard to miss. At all.

The doorbell startled her, but she was moving toward it quickly almost straight away. Sometimes, she cursed that Lanie had a good memory; why couldn't she just forget one day, leave her in peace? But, Kate always reminded herself that she did it out of care. She was the first one Kate told about the baby, after a few weak-stomached incidents at a crime scene and the morgue.

_Throwing her hair back over her shoulder, Kate strode toward the house that was their newest crime scene. CSU was already there, as was Lanie, the M.E. Ryan and Esposito had called her in on it, so they were already there too. Absent-mindedly on her way over, she'd tried to call Castle again. She told herself repeatedly, he wasn't coming back. Not now._

_Walking into the bustling living room, her eyes fell on the body that was laying half sprawled between the open living and dining spaces. A few of the chairs were haphazardly thrown about the room, cushions from the couch were splayed everywhere, telling Kate there had been a struggle. _

_There were still CSU Techs crowded around the body, so she made a point of walking the scene, taking in every nook and cranny, observing every fallen or broken object. It took her longer than usual; it seemed the physical fight had moved throughout the kitchen, the living room, the hallway and the dining room, where the body now lay. _

_She slowly made her way back to the front door, checking the deadlock for signs of forced entry. There weren't any, meaning either the killer had another entry point or knew his victim. _

_The techs were clearing now, and Kate was able to lay first sight on the body. It was mangled and decrepit, blood soaked into every inch of their clothing. There were stab marks littering their torso, the spray from her injuries leaving droplets of blood everywhere._

_Kate wasn't one to become faint at the sight, but she had to admit she was feeling more than a little queasy. She staggered to a dining chair, lowering herself slowly onto the nearest one, breathing deeply. _

"_Beckett, you okay?" Lanie asked, kneeling beside the body, gazing up at her friend who was attracting many a worried glance. _

"_Yeah, uh," she stuttered, looking away, "just not feeling so great right now."_

"_You're looking a little green," Esposito commented, walking over, offering her hand. She pushed it aside, standing up instantaneously to prove that she was, in fact fine. Her plan didn't go so well though, as she watched the room in front of her flash white. The last thing she remembered was feeling herself falling, as the world went black. _

_Later, despite being told to go home, she was making her way to the morgue. She'd thrown some crackers down her throat, sculled a coffee and demanded she was fine. She had a case to finish. _

_She walked into the cool room that was her best friend's office, smiling as Lanie looked up at her. However, Lanie didn't return her gesture, instead looking as though she wanted to slap her._

"_Girl, why aren't you at home?" she exclaimed, hands on her hips, "You fainted at a crime scene this morning!"_

"_Yes, Lanie, I know," Kate complained, sighing, "can you please just tell me what you found?"_

_Lanie gave her a final glare before handing her a face mask, receiving a confused look in return._

"_Why do I need this?" asked Kate, who was still being reprimanded by Lanie's gaze. _

"_Some of the tests I ran left things a little…ripe," she explained, "and in your state, that's just to be safe."_

"_Lanie –"_

"_Fine, don't use it if you don't want to," she added curtly, "but you barf in my morgue, you're cleaning it up."_

"_Noted."_

_After narrowing her eyes, Lanie opened the glass door that led into the autopsy room. Kate made a point of breathing through her mouth, and was only slightly repulsed. Lanie didn't seem to notice._

"_You sure you don't want the mask?" she asked, reaching for the sheet that lay over their victim. Nodding, Kate took a deep breath, holding it in as Lanie pulled back the sheet. _

"_Oh, god!" _

_Her hand was straight to her mouth, the smell knocking her to the floor, the food she scarfed earlier churning in her stomach. _

_Before she could even think about holding it down, Lanie was beside her, plastic tub in hand. She couldn't even muster a thank you, as she emptied her morning snack into the bin, and then some. _

_Pushing the bile aside with a grimace, Lanie pulled her onto her feet, guiding a shaky Kate back into her office. She sat her down, offered her a bottle of water and a breath mint, both of which she took gratefully. As she sipped the water slowly, Lanie knelt on the ground beside her, a comforting hand laying across her knee._

"_Kate, have you considered going to a doctor?" she asked gently, "There might be a, uh, reason this is happening."_

"_Lanie, I'm fine –"_

"_Kate Beckett, you are _not_ fine!" Lanie cried, "Don't even try that bullshit with me, I have been watching you for weeks now, and you know what? There is something you –"_

"_Lanie, I'm pregnant."_

"_Ya think!" _

_She almost fell off her chair. Until she remembered Lanie was a medical professional; sure, she worked with dead people now, but she still had to clear Medical Science in college. When it came to hiding things from her, Kate was screwed._

"_When did you figure it out?" Kate asked quietly, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. _

"_Couple of weeks ago," Lanie said, "at your place. I was having wine and cheese; you had water and crackers."_

_Kate snickered at her tone; of course that would be the first thing she would notice._

"_Plus, you've grown boobs and an ass," she continued, "not to mention you're more bipolar than normal."_

"_Hey!"_

_Lanie laughed gently, shaking her head as she sighed._

"_So, uh," she began hesitantly, "who's the father?"_

She remembered Lanie's excitement that she was having a little Castle. Then her too-nasty-to-repeat words against him when she found out they hadn't spoken in weeks.

Reaching the door, she was checked her appearance in the mirror. Grabbing the nearest hair elastic, she quickly pulled the limp locks that hung over her shoulders into a messy ponytail.

_Hmm, slight improvement_, she thought, shrugging as she reached for the door knob. It _was_ only Lanie.

However, the person she saw standing in her hallway once the door was opened was definitely not Lanie.

"Castle?"

She stood there in shock, her jaw practically on the ground. He, on the other hand, looked tired, disheveled and conflicted. Seeing him standing in her doorway looking the way he did made her want to cry; she couldn't believe how rude she'd been to him today.

But he deserved it, and from the pain in his eyes, she knew he felt the same way. Still, that didn't stop him from butting in. Again.

"Hey, Kate," he said, his voice a failed attempt at liveliness, "can I come in?"

All she could do was stare. She wanted to let him in, tell him how much she'd missed him, have him hold her like he did in the Hamptons. She wanted to tell him she was pregnant; wanted to see that smile of his spread across his face, instead of the limp frown he had.

But she knew that was too much. They had so much to explain to one another before they could even consider getting back to how they were before. Still, Kate wondered if that were at all possible.

_Only one way to find out_, she thought, stepping aside and inclining her head.

"Sure," she said, reaching a hand out to guide him over the threshold, giving a tight-lipped smile to his curt nod of thanks. Kate closed the door slowly, giving her time to take a few deep breaths. When she turned, he was standing in the living room, his glistening eyes resting on her. God, he looked so haunted and pained; he looked like he wanted to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge.

"Kate –"

"Uh, can I get you something to –"

"Kate, please, listen to me –"

"I have some wine here –"

"Kate!"

She stopped. He was crying, she could see the tears reflecting off his face. The light in the room was dim, but it was bright enough for her to see the hurt, the longing.

"Kate, I'm sorry."

**X X X X X**

**I like this one a lot, I had to keep going! Thank you so much for reading, and I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter (=**

**Kayla x**


	3. Accepted Apology

"_Kate, I'm sorry."_

**X X X X X**

Here she was, sitting on her couch, tears streaming down her face, sobs making her chest heave. Her make-up was running down her cheeks, but she didn't care.

Once Kate had seen Castle at her door, she knew she was in for an emotional rollercoaster ride that night, regardless of what he said. But the things that had fallen out of his mouth were not what she had been expecting, at all.

When she had stopped speaking to him, she'd stopped speaking to Martha and Alexis as well. Not because she wanted to, but because they were both off doing things as well. By the time they would have returned, she hadn't been speaking to Castle in at least a month, maybe more. She didn't feel it was appropriate to go around and see them, though, if she had, she would probably be more clued in as to what was going on.

Around the time they'd fought, Castle had had a strike of inspiration, leading him to spend two whole weeks pumping out the last chapters of his book. Once finished, he _was_ going to head back to the city and surprise Kate, the flowers, chocolates and everything else he needed for an intense apology organized. However, he'd gotten an urgent call from Princeton, where Alexis was enrolled in a summer program; she'd had a serious accident, and was rushed to hospital.

It wasn't Alexis herself involved, but there had been a fight amongst some of the male students on a second floor walkway. Caught in the middle, she and her group of friends were moving past, when one of the boys involved was shoved into her, knocking her over the edge onto the lawn below.

Castle had immediately canceled his elaborate plans in order to be with his daughter. As much as he loved Kate, getting his daughter well again was his number one priority.

_As much as he loves me?_ Kate thought to herself, shaking her head to expel the thought. If he loved her, he wouldn't have ignored her. Despite his story, which a reasonable Kate would have accepted, hormonal Kate was having a few issues comprehending him. She had missed him so much, couldn't wait to have him in her arms again. At the same time, she was angry that he'd neglected her, feeling left behind like trash on the highway. She felt bad for not calling Alexis, now that she'd learned of her ordeals.

She was curled in a ball, her head leaning on Castle's shoulder, his arms hanging loosely off her shoulders. Her legs were crossed in front of her, preventing him from getting too close; she still had a bomb to drop too.

"Kate, please, I'm so sorry," he said, reaching to gently wipe a tear from his face, his own ready to fall, "I'm – I just – Kate, please stop crying."

That was the end of it, Castle sobbing quietly to himself, pulling Kate willingly onto his lap. It felt so uninhibited, as if sitting this way were the norm, letting themselves shed their emotions together. That part of the situation made Kate cry even harder. She had no idea how he would react to her news. Sure, he made no bones about the fact that he loved his daughter and would have loved more children, but did he really want it to be like this.

"Rick?"

It was the first word she'd spoken since he walked in, and it was shockingly controlled. His eyes darted up to hers, puffy and red as they were staring at her. The way they gazed into hers, the intense blue, made her doubt the level tone would make it through the rest of this conversation.

"Rick, uh…" she began, looking around her living room, eyes glistening as she sniffed, "I have to tell you something but, uh…"

The fingers of his right hand curled and intertwined with hers, giving them a gentle squeeze, the corners of his mouth flicking upward gently. It was one of his almost smiles, the ones that begged her to continue. These expressions were of comfort to her; they gave her strength when she felt she had no hope in hell of going on.

"Rick, I'm pregnant."

**X X X X X**

In a moment, the room was spinning, her feet nowhere near the ground. She was curled up, giggling in Castle's arms, as he spun about the living room, laughing along with her, tears of glee running down his face.

"Rick – Rick!"

Kate was still laughing, but the twirling wasn't doing anything for her uneasy stomach.

"Rick, put me down!"

"Never!"

"Rick, please!"

Sighing in annoyance, he lowered her feet to the floor, his other arms clasping around her waist to hold her steady. She flashed him a quick smile, before making her way to the kitchen. That ice water in her fridge sounded pretty good right now.

"So," Castle began, following Kate, stopping to take a seat at the dining table, "how long have you known?"

That question took her by surprise, taking a lengthy sip of water as she moved to the table to join him. Slowly, she lowered herself into the seat, her free hand resting on her stomach absent-mindedly. Castle let out a quiet chuckle, as his own hand moved to lay on hers, a grin spreading across his face. Sure, she was only fourteen weeks gone, so it wasn't the world's most significant bump, but when you were accustomed to a super-slim Kate, any kind of belly was noticeable.

His eyes were glued to her stomach, as he moved his chair closer to sprawl both his hands on it. Kate couldn't help but let a cheesy smile adorn her face, as she watched him turn to jelly, the butterflies in her gut going crazy.

The previous question was all but forgotten, as he sighed in content, looking reluctantly up to her face.

"When are you due?" he asked, matching her grin with that childish excitement she loved so much.

"March 12."

"But that's still so far away!" he exclaimed, standing to pull his chair right up to hers before he sat again, his hands tracing lines on her stomach as he shook his head.

"I can't believe I didn't notice this today," he said incredulously, gazing between Kate's face and her bump with his signature goofy grin.

"It's still kinda secret," Kate said, "I've done a great job of hiding it."

"But I notice everything, especially when it comes to you," Castle cried, "I just – this is so – Wait! Wait, wait…"

"What?"

She looked at the worried look on his face, the grin falling from hers as well.

"Am I the father?"

Kate had to use all her self-control to not laugh, but she managed to keep a straight face.

"Nope, it's Esposito," she added with a sigh, smirking as she watched his face twist from fearful disappointment, to relief then humor.

"You the surrogate for his and Ryan's baby?"

"Man, you're good!"

Chuckling together for a moment, Castle's hands came to rest on her stomach once more, her own fingers linking with his. For a long moment, they sat, staring and stationary. It was Kate who made the first move, adjusting herself on the hardwood of the chair. She had been meaning to get cushions, but hadn't gotten around to it.

"You okay?" Castle asked, one hand reaching to her cheek, his blue eyes filling with worry almost immediately.

"Really?" she began, raising an eyebrow, "Don't tell me you're going to be one of those overprotective fathers-to-be."

"Well, I was the first time," he said, sighing, as he stood, replacing his chair in its rightful place, "but that's only because I had to be."

Kate tilted her head, confused, taking the hand he extended, allowing him to gently pull her up to her feet.

"Meredith, as you know, wasn't – isn't the best mother in the world," Castle began, "so if I wanted my first child to live, I kind of had to be a bit overbearing."

"Come on, she can't have been that bad," Kate said, rinsing her glass in the sink, before joining him at the side of the dining table. She welcomed his hand on the small of her back, as he guided her back through the living room, at the same time as giving his own raised eyebrow.

"She wanted to know why a double espresso would be such a bad idea," he explained, causing Kate to shake her head, laughing. Yep, that sounded like Meredith.

"Man, I don't know how I've been living without my coffee," Kate said with a laugh, pushing the door to her bedroom gently open, sighing as she reached up to start undoing her buttons. She stopped, turning to watch Castle walk into the bathroom. Since his arrival, he'd removed his shoes and sweater, now wandering about her apartment in just a t-shirt and his jeans. She hadn't expected him to stay, but she didn't imagine he had anything here.

Watching the bathroom door close, she moved to sit on her bed, laying back and sighing. This was all so bizarre; aside from those four days she spent with him in the Hamptons, they hadn't had a night together at all. Still, in those three nights, two of them sleepless, they'd formed a sort of routine. They're usual nighttime habits had just fallen into place around one another, and she knew history was about to repeat itself.

The creaking of her bathroom door made her sit up slowly, standing up just in time to find him walking into the bedroom. Slowly, she began to make her way out, allowing him to capture her in a quick kiss before she left. She should have stopped, scolded herself for it; it had been three months, for crying out loud! Why was she letting him off the hook this easily?

_Because you're pregnant and your hormones are gaga,_ she thought to herself, snickering quietly. The only thing she held onto from the previous moment, was the taste of her toothpaste on his mouth.

She brushed in record time, removing her make-up just as fast, before skillfully unclasping her bra and pulling it off, all while still in her sweatshirt.

Pleased with her skill, she pulled out her hair, gave it a ruffle, before she headed out and back to her room. Walking in, she had to grin at the sight; Castle sat on top of the covers, in just his shirt and boxers, leaving his jeans, belt and sweater draped over a chair in the corner. He was staring intently at his phone, his finger swiping the screen vigorously.

Shaking her head, she turned to the chest on the other side of the room, reaching into the top drawer to pull out an old, baggy t-shirt, retired to pajama status years ago. Slowly pulling of the sweatshirt, she gasped in surprise at arms around her waist.

"Rick!" she cried, giggling, as his mouth began to gently caress the space between her neck and her collarbone. It had been entirely too long since she'd felt this aroused, and she was so close to allowing him to have his way with her. But, she knew it had been just as long since she'd had a decent nights' sleep. Between not sleeping because of the situation with Castle and the never-ending saga of waking in the middle of the night and running to the bathroom, Kate was sure she deserved a night of uninterrupted sleep.

"Rick, not tonight," she moaned, as his hands found their way once again to her stomach, resting there while his chin was on her shoulder.

"Mm, yeah you do look pretty exhausted," Castle sighed, his thumbs stroking their place on her bare skin. One of Kate's hands remained resting on his, while the other reached up to cup the side of his face, the tips of her fingers stroking the beginnings of his hair.

She let her eyes drift closed, leaning the majority of her weight back onto Castle, sighing as she did.

"Kate?"

"Mm?"

"You always sleep shirtless?"

"Mm…"

Chuckling, Castle felt the corner of her eyes twitch as her eyelids fluttered open, her weight disappearing from his body as she reached for the shirt she'd almost managed to get on. She clumsily pulled it over her head, before turning back to Castle, falling sleepily into his arms. They slowly shuffled to the bed, he slowly helping her down under the sheets. He left her for the moment, to move around the apartment and turn off the lights, television and anything else that was left on. By the time he returned, she was almost asleep.

He switched off the bedroom light, leaving the room's illumination to the lamps. Kate shuffled in her place, rolling from her side to her back with a frustrated sigh, squinting through her lashes.

"You comin'?" she murmured, rolling finally over to her other side, facing toward where Castle stood. Gently pushing the door closed, he walked around the other side of the bed, sliding in under the blankets, pushing his body right up to Kate's. Reaching out to switch off the lamp, Castle then let his arm drape gently over Kate's waist, his hand open over her belly and pulling her gently closer.

He sighed, taking in the deep scent of her hair on the pillow, the feeling of her body beside his. It really had been too long.

Castle felt her move under him, turning to lay facing him, her head resting under his chin. She clung to the front of his t-shirt with one hand, the other under her head.

"Hey, Kate?" he began, the arm that lay over her stroking her back gently, as she fidgeted in her place.

"Yeah?" came her sleepy reply, causing him to smile as he felt her yawn against his chest.

"We're having a baby!"

**X X X X X**

**Hey guys! Sorry it's taken so long; if you read **_**The Little Things**_** you'll know what's been going on (:**

**So I do apologize, but I promise to commit myself to my writing for a little while, at least in an attempt to get my mind of things (:**

**Hope you liked the chapter; if you have any thoughts please review (:**

**Kayla x**


	4. The Talk

**Okay, so for the last chapter, I had mixed reviews, so I hope I can please all of you, at least if only a little bit (:**

**X X X X X**

Kate rolled over in her bed, sighing as she did. Pulling the covers closer, she relished in the warmth. For Summer, it was actually proving to be kind of chilly, not that it got intensely hot in New York to begin with. She slowly began to open her eyes, resting them on a sole spot on the roof, a mark where she'd squished a spider at least a week ago.

_I should really clean that_…

Looking at the clock, she realized it was only 7am, but today she had to work. Not only was it Thursday, a day she normally went to the 12th, she had a case that needed solving, and the sooner it was, the sooner she could get on with life.

Sitting up, she stretched, sighing as she rested back against the headboard of her bed. She smiled to herself, her fingers tracing little circles on her stomach, as she thought ahead to mini her she was going to have.

Then, she remembered that wonderful dream she'd had last night, and it made her want to cry. Castle, the father of her unborn child, had been in her apartment. He'd apologized, and she'd told him she was pregnant. It was so surreal, but enough to reduce her to tears.

As she sobbed quietly, she knew it would never happen. Richard Castle was gone; he was not coming back into her life, she wouldn't let him. Not after what he did.

A clanging in the kitchen stopped her. Snapping her head to the door, she froze, reaching slowly for the gun that was in her bedside drawer. Once it was rested comfortably in her hand, she slowly stood up and made her tiptoeing way to the bedroom door. Rounding the corner, she continued to move, gun raised and alert.

As she got closer, a quiet humming and something sizzling were the noises to greet her, and she brought her weapon to her side. Was someone cooking breakfast in her kitchen? And humming _Maybe This Time_?

Her eyes fell on the tall, muscular figure at her bench top, leaving her leaning on the wall for support.

What was Castle doing in her kitchen? Then, the horror that last night wasn't a dream came flooding back to her; it had been real. Everything, the tears, the apology, the joy, the tension…everything had happened. She took him back like a sobbing schoolgirl, absolutely no consequence to his actions. Or hers.

She made the final few steps back to her room, replacing her gun in its place, noticing the belt and jeans still draped over her reading chair. How the hell did she not notice that?

Sitting on the end of her bed with her head in her hands, she jumped when Castle's voice reverberated about the room.

"You okay?"

Sitting up, she turned to face him, bringing her legs onto the bed, as he sat opposite her, breakfast tray in hand.

"Rick, what are you still doing here?" she asked dryly, fighting the urge to touch him, let her hand fall on his. No, she had to dispel those thoughts; no more lovey-dovey, they had to be serious with their issues.

"I thought you might like some breakfast," he said, laying the tray adorned with bacon, eggs and toast between them, looking to her for confirmation.

"Castle, seriously," Kate began, her tone harder as her eyes pierced his. This was going to hurt, but they needed to have this talk.

"Kate, I meant what I said last night," he demanded, a tone of both hurt and anger in his voice, "and I know you did too."

"Yes, Rick, I did," she bit back, shying away at her snappy tone that turned Rick's face to a pout. She continued on, softer this time; there was no point in making everybody upset over this again.

"Look, it's just…" Kate started, sighing, biting her lip to fight the tears, "Things didn't go so great the last time we talked, and I think that we need to figure out –"

"Where we stand."

"Exactly."

She felt as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, the accepting, close-lipped smile from Castle giving her some comfort. At least they were on the same page.

"I, uh," Castle began, clearing his throat, "I should have called you about Alexis. You know, let you know that something happened but that she was okay."

"Rick, you were looking after your daughter," Kate said softly, "that's always going to take priority over a romantic relationship."

"Not when that relationship is about as dicey as her first day in hospital," Rick said, his face drawn, eyes tense and wet.

Sighing, Kate reached a hand out to his, clasping his fingers gently in her own. She could see it was tough; Alexis did fall from a first floor balcony, so the end-result wasn't going to be pretty.

"Rick, I'm not worried about why you didn't call – you had to be there for your daughter," Kate said, "and I probably would have sent you packing if you'd come here instead of being with Alexis."

Smirking quietly to himself, Rick let his thumb gently stroke Kate's their eyes still locked on each other.

"I sense a 'but' coming," he added, the two sighing in unison as Kate took over the conversation.

"But," Kate began, a playful glint in her eye as she spoke, before it disappeared, melting into sincerity, "we do have to talk."

"Hmm, I was afraid you were going to say that…"

**X X X X X**

Kate strode into the precinct, a scarf hanging loosely from her shoulders, her coat hanging from her arm. Her sweater hugged her tightly, but today she didn't seem to mind her fuller stomach as she paused at her desk and sat down. She threw her keys on the desk, before turning on her computer, sighing as she watched the screen light up and the machine kick to life.

Turning on the murder board, she focused on the need to connect their victims; another had turned up earlier this morning, sending the team haywire. They hadn't even figured a connection between the first two, now there was a third to contend with?

She didn't notice Esposito and Ryan corner Castle by the elevator, two cardboard to-go cups and a paper bag in hand.

"What are you doin' here, bro?" Esposito demanded, his dark brown eyes fixed on Castle. Ryan's eyes were flicking between the hot drinks in his hand and his worried expression.

"You know, Beckett's not on a coffee kick anymore," he said, "so uh, looks like you're outta luck this time."

"You guys, it's okay, she told me," Castle began, "which is why I brought caramel hot chocolate."

Ryan's mouth was gaping, as he nodded in understanding, but Esposito was still tense.

"You know how much crap she's been through for this, Castle?" he demanded, arms hard by his side, hands clenched in fists.

"Whoa, guys, I didn't know until I got back –"

"Then why didn't you call to see how she was?" Ryan interjected, taking a step closer to the writer, who took a shaky step back.

"I meant to call," Castle added, "but I got caught up writing."

"Pssh!"

"It's true!" he demanded, "And just as I was coming back to the city, my daughter had an accident at Princeton. I was going to go surprise Kate when I got the call."

The two detectives before him were speechless, their expressions flicking between enraged, worried and understanding. Still, like Kate had reiterated that morning, they were not done talking about this.

They moved off quietly, whispering something to one another as they went. Castle let out a sigh of relief, before heading over to take his usual seat by Kate.

"Morning Detective," he said, smiling brightly, placing the hot chocolate and the paper bag between them. He got a raised eyebrow, followed by the world's best disapproving look, her eyes landing on the cardboard in front of her.

"Castle –"

"Just, try it, okay?" he said, grinning, taking the cup marked with a 'K' and handing it to her. He made sure the opening was situated right under her nose, letting the enticing smell of the caramel do its job. And clearly, it worked; she eyed it hungrily, slowly reaching for it, grasping it and taking a sip.

"Is this caramel hot chocolate?" she asked incredulously, her mouth wide, eyes sparkling – it was so good!

"Only the best," Castle replied with a smile, before taking a sip of his own drink, pushing the brown paper bag in her direction, "and _that_ is for later if you get hungry."

Her curiosity got the better of her, as she peered into the slightly open bag, taking the appearance of what looked like…blueberry?

"What is it?" she asked, the purple color kind of throwing her off a little, eyeing the baked goodie with suspicion.

"It's a scone," Rick said, "berry and white chocolate."

"There's chocolate in that?" Kate exclaimed, reaching to pull the bag open, her eyes grazing the surface of it to find that there were indeed white choc chips. Rick beside her was chuckling quietly.

"They're good," he stated, "I blame Alexis for their discovery."

Kate grinned, before turning her attention to the mention of his daughter. She was yet to find out the extent of her condition.

"How is she, by the way?" she asked, closing the bag, before picking up her hot chocolate again. Castle sighed, the grin falling from his face, but he appeared accepting rather than upset.

"She's…in a pretty bad way," he began, as Kate's face fell to mirror his, "it was a pretty nasty fall, but she's been practically pushing me out the door instead of moping about after her."

Smiling at the image in her head, she watched him continue, his eyes downcast, unable to meet hers.

"There was very little head injury, which was a relief," he started, "but her right side is banged up to the nines."

Kate's hand began to absent-mindedly reach for his, but stopped halfway, before retreating. Part of her ground rules this morning had been to remain distanced at work. They still had a lot of issues to work through.

"Rick, I'm really sorry," she said, sighing inwardly and leaning back in her seat. The last time she'd seen Alexis, she was a smiling image of sophistication, tall and beautiful, and probably growing up too fast for Castle's liking. She just couldn't imagine the bubbly redhead to be anything but.

"She wants to see you, by the way," Castle said, his eyes finally meeting Kate's, "Said she wants to 'discuss important matters' with you."

Kate wasn't sure whether she should be worried or what at the proposal. Sure, Alexis was a sweet enough girl, but, like her father, she was very protective of her family.

"Does she know about…"

Gesturing to her stomach, which Castle immediately grinned at as soon as it was mentioned, he shook his head.

"No, uh," he started hesitantly, "I thought we should, uh, tell her together."

Wait, what? _Together_? Kate wasn't entirely sure that was the world's greatest idea, but granted, if they didn't say it soon, she was going to notice. There was only so long Kate could keep this thing under wraps.

"Castle, I –"

"Kate, listen to me," he said, leaning forward, "if you tell her yourself, I'll look like I've been hiding it from her. I tell her by _my_self, she'll think you're skipping out. She figures it out herself? Well, uh, let's just not go there."

Kate was astounded by the explanation for a moment, before she sighed in defeat, "Okay, together."

**X X X X X**

**Sorry for the agonizingly short chapter guys, but to be honest, I'm kinda out of it right now. But, it had to be written, so I tried my best, and if it's not good, feel free to give me a virtual slap. **

**Anyways, as always, review with your problems, questions and queries (:**

**Kayla x**


	5. Announcement

**This story seems to be the one I'm in the mood for at the moment, so it's the one I'm writing. Sorry for those who read the others, the inspiration is just not there. Now, if only I could spend **_**my**_** days following Kate Beckett instead of writing…**

**X X X X X**

So far, today had been nothing but dead ends. They were still no closer to finding a connection between the victims, and Kate had been sent home before she could argue. Apparently, she'd been spending too much time at work. She figured Ryan and Esposito had just been putting their big toes in her business. Again.

But, despite being sent there, she hadn't made it home yet. She was standing in an elevator in SoHo, making her way up to the Castle loft. He'd convinced her that this afternoon would be a good time to see Alexis. Kate had been asking after her intermittently, whenever a reminder of her accident became apparent.

So, here she was, bumping elbows with her mystery writer tag along who was now leading her to his apartment. Pausing in front of the door, she watched him fiddle with his keys, smirking as they clanged on the ground.

Still, Kate didn't deny that she was nervous as well; on the way over, she and Castle had decided now would be the best time to tell Alexis about their…arrival. He'd been adamant she would notice, even though she'd changed into a shirt she found in her car.

Watching him fumble once more, the door was finally swinging open, and they were heading into the expansive living room of the Castle loft. Kate could see the young redhead sitting on the couch, her head resting on a cushion, a blanket pulled over her.

"She looks like she's asleep," Kate whispered, allowing Castle to take her coat and put it in the closet. She thankfully shed her shoes, cursing her insistence to wear heels yet again.

"Yeah, probably," Castle explained, "she's conked out a lot these days." He moved to the kitchen, guiding Kate with a hand on her back, watching her intently as she sat atop a bar stool and sighed.

"Castle, please, don't –"

"Hey, if I can fall off those chairs, so can anybody else!"

Snickering, Kate shook her head, Castle moving around the other side of the bench and pulling out some plates and all the things he'd need to make them a sandwich.

"I'm guessing you haven't eaten," Castle said, Kate's grumbling stomach answering his question.

"No," she sighed, "but I'm fairly certain even if I had I'd still be hungry."

"Ah, yes," Castle laughed, "but at least you have the excuse you're eating for two when you order supersize."

Scoffing Kate gave him a glare over the bread he was buttering, beckoning one of his gimpy grins that made her melt.

"I have never and _will_ never put myself through supersized fast food!" she exclaimed, a ham salad sandwich placed in front of her, followed by a glass of water and a smirk.

"Thanks, Rick," she added, before taking a bite and sighing in content; that was one great sandwich.

They ate in silence for the moment, the occasional giggle when Castle's tomato fell out or when Kate had ham dangling from her mouth. It wasn't until they heard quiet shuffling that their attention was elsewhere.

Looking to the living room, they saw the abnormally dull face of their favorite redhead moving toward them, a small but strained grin adorning her features.

"Hey, pumpkin," Castle murmured, rushing over to her side almost immediately, helping her to the stool that sat beside Kate.

Once she was comfortable, Alexis gave a warm smile in the direction of the detective, accepting the glass of water from her father.

"It's nice to see you, Detective Beckett," she added, her voice raspy and soft; the sound made Kate want to tear up. She looked so different to the bright and exuberant Alexis she'd become accustomed to, but at the same time, she'd barely changed.

"Please, Alexis, call me Kate," the detective urged, taking the uninjured hand of the young girl, giving it a gentle squeeze. Blushing, Alexis gave a gentle shake of her head, groaning as she watched Castle place an assortment of pills in front of her.

"Nutrition, huh?" Kate laughed, noting the different sizes, shapes and colors. The antibiotics were the usual green caplets, while the small, white tablets looked to be her painkillers. There was another red, ovular shaped pill, while a blue liquid capsule sat beside it.

"Kate, they're _awful_," Alexis exclaimed, throwing the blue one down and wincing as she swallowed, "the green one smells the worst."

Holding up the green one, Kate quickly gave the girl's hand a nudge away again, her nose turning up at the thought of the smell.

"It's okay, I've had my fair share of antibiotics in my life," Kate said, "I believe you; they're disgusting."

"You're even worse than my Dad," Alexis chuckled, taking a deep breath as she braved the rest of her medication. While she swallowed the final pill, Castle leaned forward on his elbows, his mouth ajar, waiting for the opportune moment to let the words come out. He closed it again quickly to laugh at a dramatically shuddering Alexis, who once again complained about the taste, leaving Kate shaking her head also.

"Hey, Alexis, can we talk to you for a minute?" Castle asked, Kate shooting him a look that was both worried and angry.

_Why now?_ she thought to herself, her gaze falling back onto the confused teenager beside her.

"Is everything okay?" Alexis asked, her expression filling with concern, her eyes flitting between her father and Kate.

"Seriously?" Kate began, "you're worried about us when you're sitting there all banged up and bandaged?"

"Well, I don't have anything else to do," Alexis huffed, "I've been holed up in here _forever_!"

A sideways glance shared by the two girls toward Rick left the mystery writer playfully hurt.

"Hey, that was the _doctor's_ orders, I'm just following them," he added as-a-matter-of-factly, which received a scoff from Kate.

"Since when do _you_ follow orders?" Kate cried, "You are the king of going rogue!"

"Mm, you would know –"

"Wow, oversharing!" Alexis exclaimed, looking both comical and horrified at the same time. She let out a small giggle at the sudden scarlet color of Kate's cheeks, watching her father flash his goofiest grin.

"On _cases_!" Kate reiterated, "He likes to get in the way."

Alexis gave a small laugh, shaking her head at her father before she looked back to Kate. She had a questioning look in her eyes, a mix of both anticipation and concern in her eyes.

"I thought you guys had something to tell me," she asked, shifting in her seat, wincing slightly at her movement. Kate let a hand grasp the young girls', helping her adjust in her seat. The detective was taken aback by the strength in the clawing grasp of Alexis, as she fixed her position then sighed.

"You okay, sweetie?" Castle asked, his hand reaching for hers. She shrugged it away, nodding, looking expectantly at both of them. Kate could see the hurt in Castle's face when he watched his daughter in pain. Heck, it was hurting her too, and she didn't even belong to her.

"Yeah, Dad, I'm fine," was her annoyed reply, Castle sighing as Kate gave an understanding smile in her direction. She had been an only child once too, and, being Kate Beckett, had gotten herself into many a serious accident before.

"Rick, she's okay," Kate said, noting that Alexis was still holding her hand tightly; she didn't seem to be letting go any time soon. Castle was still looking on in worry, the frustrated look from Alexis turning into a glare the longer he stared.

"Well, uh, Alexis, Kate and I have some, uh…"

Kate watched him stutter, rolling her eyes at his awkwardness, watching as the young redhead's eyes flitted both quizzically yet knowingly between the two.

"You guys are dating?" Alexis asked, her eyes narrow, eyebrow raised, leaving Kate speechless and Castle grinning childishly.

"Ah, kinda…" he added with a laugh, "But that's not what we want to tell you –"

"Wait, wait," Alexis began again, looking excitedly at her amused father, to a very confused and anxious Kate, back to Castle again, "are you engaged?"

"Whoa!" Kate exclaimed, holding up her hands, Castle's face erupting into laughter, "Hold up! We still have some…issues to work through before we can even consider _working_ together again, let alone any sort of personal life."

Alexis looked a little disappointed in that, as did Castle, but his sad nod said more than words could. Although they were on better terms than when she had first seen him after the summer, Kate was still not prepared to let him off the hook without a suitable amount of punishment. _He_ might have had something to do for three months that would keep him occupied, but all she had was work and her sad excuse for a life.

"Well, then what?" Alexis asked, watching as Castle moved himself around to stand behind Kate, who had since turned in her seat to face the young girl. Choosing not to move again, the redhead simply turned her head, grinning at the smile on Kate's face as Castle's hand curled around the woman's waist, a hand resting on her stomach.

Gasping, Alexis' eyes were moving quickly and excitedly, her excitement mirroring that of her father's in that moment. Kate, as well as being excited, looked extremely nervous.

"Alexis, we're having a baby!"

**X X X X X**

**So, I hope this was okay (: I figured, Castle would want to just dive right in and tell Alexis, despite how excitedly nervous he may be, while Kate would want to skirt around the point a little. I hope I captured that, but if I didn't, feel free to extend the #virtualslap (:**


	6. Visiting Alexis

**Buonasera my darlings! (Well, it's evening right now, haha!) So, not much to say, just a reminder, more for myself than you, that this is still only around mid-September of 2010 aka Season 3 beginnings, kay, thanks!**

**X X X X X**

Much of dinner later that night was spent amidst awkward conversations about the baby, Alexis being the delightfully curious character of a soon-to-be big sister. It helped too that she had a certain fondness for Kate, something that had been solidified through maternal advice giving in earlier instances.

"So, how far along are you, Kate?" Alexis asked, moving a spoonful of rice onto her plate, waiting momentarily for Kate to swallow her mouthful.

"Uh, I'm fourteen weeks," she said with a nod, "and I'm due on March 12."

"Wow, that's still so far away!" the younger girl added, her tone half excitement, half disappointment, much like Castle's had been.

Kate had to laugh quietly, shaking her head as she continued on with her food. A sideways look at Castle made her notice the knowing smile on his face. Earlier, while Alexis and Kate had been talking about her accident and hospital stay, he had been caught staring at them on a number of occasions. Each time, he had his best smile on his dial, looking on as an observer only, the image of his daughter and – well, at this point, he was uncertain of Kate's label.

Now, he had much the same look on his face.

"Do you know the baby's gender?" Alexis questioned, pushing her plate aside, a look of discontent on her face, which turned to an eye roll at her father's concerned look.

Smirking quietly to herself, Kate turned back to the young redhead, "Uh, no, actually I don't."

"Are you going to find out?" the teenager continued, Kate's eyes turning to fall on Castle questioningly.

"I don't know, to be honest," she said, her eyes not leaving his, the same look of indecisiveness across his face as well.

"We'll figure it out," Castle added reassuringly, a hand brushing over her arm momentarily before he returned to his food.

**X X X X X**

It was at least two hours later, Kate and Castle moving around the kitchen to put away newly washed dishes silently. They hadn't spoken much since Alexis had gone to bed about half an hour before, and Kate suspected any conversation following would be everything but pleasant or comfortable.

As she out away the last of the dishes, Kate sighed in content at their work, before wandering past Castle to find her bag. It was perched on the edge of the couch, still untouched from when she'd arrived many hours ago. Rummaging through, she managed to find her phone, checking her calendar for tomorrow.

Her heart gave a little flurry in her chest when she read the entry, and then again when she felt a hand rest on her hip, a chin on the opposite shoulder. Dropping her cell back into her bag quickly, she let one more sigh escape her, before leaning back into Castle willingly. At this point, she was too exhausted to even argue with herself, let alone fight the urge to just fall asleep right there in his arms.

"You tired?" he murmured, his voice vibrating through his chest and onto her back, sending shivers down her spine.

"Mmhmm…"

Chuckling quietly, Castle set her standing straight, arm still clamped around her waist, as he began to guide her to the hallway she knew led to his bedroom.

"No, Castle," Kate objected, removing herself from his grasp and spinning to face him, "I should go home."

"Kate –"

"Rick."

They stood, staring at each other for the longest time, before Kate finally cleared her throat.

"Look, Rick, we still haven't…discussed anything yet," she began cautiously, giving him some consolation by allowing him to lead her to the couch. She wasn't going to lie, the hand he'd left across her knee wasn't exactly a problem either.

"What's there to discuss?" he asked, "everything is back the way it was before, why go out of our way to question it?"

"Because, Rick, what if it happens again?" Kate exclaimed, "What if we have another blowout and we don't talk for another three months? We have more at stake than just us now –"

"You think I don't know that?" Rick continued angrily, "You think I'm not considering our baby here too?"

Kate froze. _Our_ baby. She couldn't get the words out, her mouth opening and closing, but nothing escaping it. At the same time she was condemning his tone, she just couldn't help but turn to mush. _Our baby…_

"Look, Kate, I'm sorry, it's just…" Rick started, sighing as he too struggled with words, "I just, uh…"

Watching him wrestle with his inability to communicate, Kate let her own hand fall on his, the one that rested so gently just above her knee cap. It was hard watching the usually eloquent writer trying to grasp his words without noticing the pain and conflict in his eyes.

"Damn it, look, you wanna know where I stand?" he began, forcefully, though not irately, shocking Kate momentarily. With nothing to do but stare in awe as he spoke, notice the way he shuffled a little closer, held on to her hand a little tighter, she was speechless. Then, she was being pulled up onto her feet, Castle standing beside her, both arms holding her as close as possible.

"Right here," he continued, "this is where I've always stood, and this is where I'm going to stay."

Her head was resting softly under his chin, his heartbeats pattering against her hands where they rested on his chest. Her vision slowly blurred as they brimmed, her fingers grasping at his shirt tightly, pulling him as close as was humanly possible.

Castle felt the change in her, his own arms curling as tightly around her as they could, her own moving from his chest to wrap around his back. Their bodies were completely pressed together, and a giddy smile erupted from Rick at the thought. He could feel Kate's stomach, that precious little bump, pushed against his own, the feeling of it so foreign, yet so right at the same time.

"Thank you, Rick," Kate managed to get out, lifting her head from the now wet patch on his shirt. Staring him in the eye, she saw the grin that was on his face, feeling his hands fall once again to her hips, his thumbs pressing gentle circles over the side of her bump. She'd never seen his expression the way it was, especially considering it from moments ago; he was happy. Genuinely, unconditionally happy. Just the sight of the brightness in his eyes, the color in his cheeks, the corners of his grin were enough to leave an almost identical expression on her face as well.

"So, uh, I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow," Kate began, her eyes falling from his, to her thumbs entwined in his belt loops, back to his eyes once again.

"Can I come?" Castle blurted, sheer excitement upon his face that left Kate giggling as she nodded approval. However, she remained silent, biting her lip as she contemplated the best way to say the next part.

"What is it, what does tomorrow mean?" he asked, a flicker of concern erupting, but the smile remained.

With a gentle sigh, Kate let her lip be in peace as she grinned, watching Castle's face do the same.

"Tomorrow, we find out if it's a little me or a little you!"

**X X X X X**

**I know, short, I'm sorry. As for their supposed 'talk', honestly, they're the kind of people who tend to do the whole 'silent apology' thing, but if you're dissatisfied, I'm sure you'll survive (:**

**Kayla x**


	7. Congratulations

Kate sat on the hard, gray plastic of the doctor's surgery chairs, her leg bouncing as she waited. Castle had wandered off a few minutes ago to get them a drink, and she was eagerly searching the hallway and waiting area for him to return.

She was torn between wanting the appointment to be over and done with but she didn't want to be called in before Castle came back. Either way, every time the receptionist stood to call out the next name, she felt her stomach churn, her eyes darting down the hall toward the consultation area, then the direction Castle had headed minutes ago.

This happened about five times before she looked to see her partner heading back toward her, two water bottles in hand. He smirked at the worried look in her eye, quickening his pace, grunting as he took his seat alongside her, handing her the bottle in his left hand.

Accepting with silent thanks, she quickly unscrewed the lid, raising it to her lips and taking a liberal swig. Gosh, that water was good! And, it was a welcome distraction, as was the arm that draped over her shoulder, Castle's hand squeezing her shoulder gently.

Kate's eyes remained fixed on the empty space in front of her, her leg still bouncing. Castle was looking sideways at her, concern lacing with his previous amusement. She'd never been this nervous before.

"You okay?" he asked, leaving his water on the empty seat to his right, allowing it to now reach over onto hers, grasping it tightly.

Her head snapped to his, her eyes soft but brows furrowed, her mouth twisted into a worried kind of pout that Castle found intensely adorable. She gave a couple of curt nods of her head, her mouth turning into a close-lipped and small smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she added quietly.

Despite what she was telling herself, she was not fine. The young woman was a nervous wreck, if Castle's opinions were serving him right. Still, his observations were not ones she'd accept, particularly in her state; the more vulnerable or nervous she was, the more nonchalant she tried to be about it.

Instead of trying to make her confront her anxiety, the arm he had resting on her shoulder pulled her little closer, allowing her to lean gently into his side. He could feel the stiffness of tension in her; granted, a small amount left as she relaxed into him, but it wasn't enough to make him stop worrying.

"It's okay to be scared," Castle said simply, his quiet voice resonating with her for a moment. Slowly, she let her eyes drift shut, her body turning to lean fully and dependently on Castle, her hand reaching to curve around his far shoulder. She allowed both of his arms to encircle her, the steady drum of his heart in his chest beating some of the nerve out of her.

"I'm not scared, just nervous," Kate added, "honest."

She turned to him, eyes big and warm, her smile close-lipped yet just as adept in expressing how she really felt. Her cheeks were, in Castle's opinion, an adorable shade of unabashed pink, and she had a beautiful sparkle in her eye.

"Everything will be fine," Castle asserted, "I promise."

She didn't speak, simply nodded before she turned away to stare into the space she'd been moments ago.

"Kate Beckett?"

Her breath caught in her throat for a moment, her head snapping to the direction of the reception desk, where she was greeted with a perky smile from a woman dressed in navy blue.

"Dr. Neilson will see you now," the woman added, pausing as she held an arm out gesturing down the hall.

Her breathing was yet to begin again, as she simply stared in the direction of the receptionist. She felt Castle stand beside her, his hand curled around her bicep and lifting her gently to her feet.

"Come on, Kate," he spoke quietly, allowing her to move slowly as she came to stand, holding her steady. She wasn't unsteady in a physical sense, but emotionally, she hadn't been herself lately. Not simply for her condition, but also the returning figure of Castle, the things they still had to figure out.

All of these things, in conjunction with the confrontation of the appointment she no longer had to face alone caused her breathing to be jagged as she finally made for the doctor's office.

Castle didn't speak, but he kept one arm clamped firmly around her waist, holding her hip to his, the other lightly holding her tense hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze, a reassurance he knew was accepted by the quick and light compression of her fingers on his.

The woman said something Kate didn't hear in its entirety, something to do with the doctor will be a few minutes, before she walked out, leaving her alone with Castle.

"Come on, Kate, sit down," Castle said, leading her to the small bed and sitting her down, her hand still clutching his. He sat beside her, thigh flush against hers, their fingers still entwined. It wasn't much, but it was enough to make Kate feel slightly calmer.

She didn't know why she was in such a state; she'd had plenty of appointments for her pregnancy before now, and they hadn't left her like this. Perhaps it was the significance of this particular appointment that was leaving her frantic, or perhaps it was the fact that Castle was here with her.

That much was significant in itself, having the baby's father here with her for the first time. Finding out the gender of the baby. Learning if there were any problems with the baby's health. Getting to meet their baby.

_Their_ baby. The little human growing inside of her was _theirs_. It was half her, half Castle. Gosh, she hoped the baby would get his blue eyes…

"Right, sorry about the wait, Kate," Dr. Neilson began as he walked into the room, clipboard in hand, the presence of Castle catching his attention, "and who might I be meeting today?"

Holding out his hand as he came to his feet, Castle gave a small smile, knowing Kate wasn't in a state to introduce them, but still unsure of exactly _how_ she would rather he were introduced…

"I'm Rick Castle," he greeted, "pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Castle, I'm Dr. Edward Neilson," the doctor replied, gesturing for the seat alongside the bed, "And how might you know Miss Beckett?"

"He's my partner," Kate interjected, "and he's the baby's father."

Nodding with an additional beaming smile at Castle, Dr. Neilson turned to a now less stressed Kate.

"Right, Kate, are you ready?" he asked, taking his seat in front of the ultrasound machine, flicking a few switches to get it started, reaching for the gel nearby.

Kate turned to Castle, a smile plastered across her face as she reached for his hand. She didn't know where this sudden spark of excitement had managed to erupt from, but she wasn't going to object to it. It was a kind change from the nervous wreck she'd been moments ago.

She lay back on the bed, the top half raised so she could still see the monitor, but low enough that Dr. Neilson could get to her stomach. He gently raised her shirt, leaving it clumped just at the top of her bump, and began to apply the gel.

Butterflies ensued almost instantly the minute the cold of the blue substance hit her stomach, Kate's eyes turning once again to Castle. He looked just as excited as she felt, his giddy, childish grin sending a whole different kind of fluttering in her stomach. They gazed at each other grinning like kids for a few moments, the sound of the machine whirring about the room, Castle's thumb inadvertently tracing the back of Kate's hand.

"And, there we have it, folks," Dr. Neilson stated, interrupting their quiet moment, causing both their heads to snap to the monitor. Castle stood, moving to stand alongside the bed, his hand still clinging to Kate's. There was a silence for a moment, as they watched the black and white figure move on the screen, hearing the sound of the tiny heartbeat.

"Oh…" Kate murmured, feeling tears in her eyes, a ridiculous smile on her face. She turned to see Castle gazing in much the same way, his mouth hung in a little 'o' as he watched. His eyes were glistening, Kate noticed, as they moved reluctantly from the image to look at her.

Her heart skipped a beat in that moment; she had never seen this side of Castle, the emotional, soft and unashamed side. It was extremely overwhelming, but at the same time, it sent her heartbeat crazy the way he looked at her.

"Do you want to know the baby's gender?" Dr. Nielson asked quietly, Kate turning back to him and nodding eagerly.

The excitement mounted significantly the minute it was mentioned, Kate and Castle eagerly watching the screen as it moved around, the sound of the baby's heartbeat strong and almost soothing to hear.

"Okay, you ready?" Dr. Neilson continued, looking at the monitor carefully, before nodding to himself in affirmation. Kate wondered whether he got paid more for theatrics on the job.

"Congratulations, Miss Beckett, Mr. Castle, you are having a baby boy."

**X X X X X**

**I am so awfully sorry this took so long to get to you. I really am. I hope the fluff makes up for the lateness. (:**

**Kayla x**


	8. Surprise Reunion

**So, a little episode everyone will remember from early Season Three (: Forgive me if you don't like it, but this had to be done – I don't want it to be long, so if you're not a Royce fan, you'll be fine (:**

**X X X X X**

Today was sure not the day she had planned, nor the surprise reunion either. Kate still couldn't believe it when she had come face to face with her old training officer in the field. Even worse, she couldn't believe he'd been a conspirator in the whole thing.

She sat at home, the television on mute, ice cream within arm's reach as she stared at the photos and cried. Castle had been convinced it was a bluff, and to be honest, she didn't think she could hold it together long enough to tell him it wasn't. She'd already broken down in front of him too many times for her liking, she didn't need another one added to the tally.

**X X X X X**

"_So, kid, been busy I see," Royce murmured, his eyes glancing down at her stomach momentarily before returning to her eyes. He had managed to convince her to come out for drinks, which for her entailed water, maybe lemonade if she was feeling adventurous. Royce, on the other hand, was onto his second beer. _

"_Yeah, uh…he wasn't planned," Kate replied just as quietly, her eyes darting away as soon as she spoke. She was startled to find Royce chuckling._

"_It's nothing to be ashamed of, you know," he said, "so long as Castle's the father."_

"_Oh yeah, and why does he have to be the father?"_

"_Because he makes you happy."_

_Kate froze, her hand stopping absent-mindedly, as it had done since her last doctor's appointment, over her stomach. It was true, she wasn't going to deny it, but she did admire the fact that, even after at least five years, Royce still managed to see straight through her. _

"_So you're having a little boy, huh?" he intervened, breaking the tension almost as quickly as he created it._

"_Yeah, Castle's pretty excited," Kate murmured through a smile, "so is his daughter."_

"_Ah, so he's already got a kid," Royce mused, "good man."_

_Kate looked up at him finally, after severing their gaze moments ago. His eyes were just as she remembered them, his face a little more ragged than the last time. Still, despite the attraction she'd felt as a rookie, she found now that it had mostly dissipated. Each time she saw Royce's lighter, greyer eyes, she immediately compared them to the striking blue of Richard Castle. It was involuntary, but it did tell her one thing; she had finally moved on. _

_Interestingly enough, the person she had moved on to was very similar to the one she'd left behind, though different in so many ways. They both had notable senses of humor, but they were vastly unique, and Kate felt she preferred Castle's writer nonsense. _

"_Anyway, kid, I better get going," Royce said, "it was good to see you again."_

"_Yeah, yeah you too."_

**X X X X X **

There was a knock on her door, something that startled her slightly. She looked at the clock, reading 10:04pm, and wondered who on earth would be dropping by at this hour. Hearing the person on the other side clear their throat, she scolded herself for not knowing. Of course, it was Castle.

Opening her door, she didn't even bother speaking, simply took in his pitiful gaze and stepped aside, allowing him in. She closed the door in silence, walking slowly past his paused figure in the hall as she made for her couch. Not so subtly, she left enough room between herself and the far arm of the sofa for him to fit, which he did almost instantly. There were no words, just warmth as she let herself fall into his arms, burying her face in his chest. She wasn't crying anymore; the tears were gone, and all she felt now was happy, safe. She could get used to this feeling.

"How you doing?" he asked quietly after a few moments, his hand pulling her slightly closer as he spoke. She let him pull her willingly, not able to resist the tenderness in his touch or the warmth escaping him.

"I'll survive," she murmured, sighing into her position and letting her eyes drift closed, "but this always helps."

"I hoped it would," Castle added, his smile evident in his tone, before she felt him shift under her, "but, just in case it didn't, I had another plan."

Slowly, as her eyes opened, she was being lifted to her feet, Castle guiding her quickly to her kitchen, seating her at the dining table facing away.

"Castle, what are you doing?" Kate questioned, her eyebrow raised as he turned her shoulders firmly in the opposite direction. She sighed in annoyance, hearing him chuckle quietly before he tinkered about the room. She heard the microwave oven at one point, the cupboards opening and closing, a tin being delved into and mugs being put on the bench top. So, he was making something…

"You know you'll be cleaning this up too," she called, not turning around, her focus on the paper that was sitting in front of her from this morning. She remembered the articles fairly well; there was one about a man shot up in Harlem over a lottery ticket misunderstanding, a piece about a little girl who had won some prize for public speaking and another about a happy couple's wedding in the park. At least, they were the ones she remembered.

"Okay, here we go," Castle exclaimed, placing a steaming mug in front of her, followed by a plate of what looked like home-baked choc chip cookies.

Her mouth was gaping, her eyes flitting between the deliciously appetizing cookies and the aromatic hot chocolate. How she was going to decide which one to start on was beyond her.

"You are _that_ clichéd, you know this, right?" Kate added, looking sideways at him, her demeanor falling the moment she saw that crooked, mystery writer grin of his.

"It doesn't matter," he replied matter-of-factly, "because I happen to know that you _love_ hot chocolate!"

"Is that so, huh?"

"Yup, little birdy told me."

"Tell me that little birdy wasn't –"

"No, it was your Dad."

Kate's head cocked animatedly, her quizzical expression spreading the smile even wider on Castle's face.

"When did you talk to my Dad?" she asked.

"You know how cute you are when you look confused?" he began, chuckling at her narrowed eyes before continuing, "He gave me a call a little while back – he heard you mention I was back in town – and I guess he wanted to make sure his little girl was being treated right."

"Hmm, and you told him what exactly?" Kate queried; her father knew about the baby, he also knew Castle was the father. Another thing she knew about her father, he had a soft spot for the mystery writer, which had _nothing_ at all to do with his wife and daughter's obsession with the man. Pfft, who was she kidding!

"I said he had no need to worry, I was treating you as you should be treated and that Junior will never be alone," Castle explained, "I also mentioned my plans to woo you, hence the bringing up of hot chocolate."

Kate gave a nod with her eyebrow raised, a glint in her eye before she shook her head at his unreasonableness.

"Accepted?" Castle asked, raising a cookie to her lips, taunting her by having it right under her nose. She gave him one final narrowing of her eyes, before she broke into a smile.

"Accepted."

**X X X X X**

**Told you it would be brief! Haha, I was intending on it being longer, but I wanted to get a chapter up and you know how it goes with Caskett fluff, they practically write themselves!**

**Anyways, read, question and review!**

**Kayla x**


	9. The Real Surprise

Kate sighed as she inserted another disc of surveillance she had to scan through. As if she didn't have anything else to do…oh wait, she didn't.

Captain Montgomery had officially decided that she was no longer able to go into the field aside from attending the crime scene. She was restricted to her desk and the desk in the interrogation room, and on occasion, the break room. Although, Castle usually insisted that she stay seated and he retrieve her food for her. He was beginning to get _very_ overprotective, mainly because she was _very_ big too. At least, that was Castle's argument.

Just when she thought she was going to start banging her head against her desk, she heard the elevator chime and three childishly arguing male voices break the eerie silence of the Homicide division. Still, as they got closer, she thought Castle would try and convince her he was right against Ryan and Esposito, but instead, their voices fell. She turned around slowly, eyes narrowed accusingly, watching the three of them stop awkwardly in the walkway. Ryan and Esposito looked between themselves several times, stuttering as they tried to formulate words.

"Uh, we're, just, uh –"

"Going for a coffee," Esposito chimed in, glaring at Ryan before they both made for the break room. Castle was now alone, and began to walk forward, groaning animatedly as he took his seat, pulling out his phone and beginning to play.

Kate was confused; what had the boys hiding something from her? Was it about the case? She hated being out of the loop amongst her team. Hopefully they weren't just keeping things from her because of her 'condition'; if they were, they had another thing coming.

"What was that all about?" she asked, turning slowly back to face her desk and Castle, who didn't look up from his phone to reply.

"Nothing to worry about now," he said, swiping his finger across the screen several more times, before Kate reached out and snatched it. She tried her best not to laugh, but it was hard not to when Castle pulled his best five-year-old pout. Still, Kate dropped the phone on the other side of her desk, turning back to the mystery writer.

"Spill it, Castle," she demanded, shocked when he simply adjusted himself in his seat and shook his head.

"Forget it, it was nothing," he said, now fiddling gently with the corner of his coat, looking forlornly toward where his phone was sitting, "be right back."

He stood quickly, wandering past the break room, peering in momentarily before stepping inside. Knowing she would be watching, Castle was sure to keep his chat brief and subtle. However, these were not exactly his most prominent talents.

"Guys, seriously, don't make such a big deal out of this," Castle urged, "she's getting suspicious!"

"Why are you the one organizing it all anyway?" Esposito asked, agitated, punching the vending machine with the side of his fist to dislodge a soda, "I thought that was best friend territory, not father-to-be."

"I already told you this," Castle insisted, Ryan watching from his vantage point at the head of the table, highly amused, "Lanie hasn't been able to get out of the morgue since that case from uptown came through, and she asked me to ask both of you if you'd be there."

"At the baby shower that _she_ organized, but that _you're_ inviting everyone to?" Ryan added inquisitively, pleased by Castle's impatient sigh.

"Yes, exactly," Castle explained, moving from the coffee machine to join Ryan at the table, Esposito leaning calmly against the vending machine sipping his soda, "but it's supposed to be a surprise."

"Come on, Castle," Esposito jeered, "we know better than anyone how hard it is to keep anything from Beckett."

"What are you keeping from me?"

All three men snapped their gazes up to see Kate walking calmly in the room, pausing at the table where Castle and Ryan were seated before sitting down herself.

The two men sitting at the table cast each other hasty, worried looks, while Esposito remained by the vending machine, thoroughly amused.

"Well, uh," Castle began, getting himself a narrowed look from Kate, "it wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you."

"Castle, you know I hate surprises," she added bluntly, searching his scrambling features for some sort of tell. Unfortunately, this time, Castle seemed to have covered his tracks quite well, shrugging, and bringing his mug to his lips.

"Well, you'll just have to suffer won't you?"

"Lanie, please tell me you know what the boys are being so secretive about," Kate begged, arriving at the morgue simply to grill her favorite medical examiner about the guys' antics this morning. They were hiding something from her, and she wanted to know what it was.

"How would I know what the boys are up to?" Lanie replied, "It's not like I go out of my way to find out their business."

Unfortunately, no matter how hard Lanie tried, Kate was very adept at seeing through her occasional white lies. For some reason, the two just weren't very good at lying to each other.

"Come on, Lanie," Kate whined, "I _know_ they're up to something, and it's got to do with the either the case or me, so on both accounts, I deserve to know."

"Kate, can't you just let someone, or in this case, some people, who care about you do something nice for you?" Lanie asked, "I mean, god forbid they might want to surprise you every now and then."

Taking a moment to process Lanie's words, Kate suddenly clicked, crossing her arms as her eyes narrowed.

"You're in on it, aren't you?" she asked, "Whatever they're up to, you're in it too."

"Trust me, Kate," Lanie added, "As much as you hate surprises, Castle has this one all wrapped up and he's been excited about this since he started planning it."

Even though she already knew in her mind that it was probably all Castle's doing, the affirmation gave her both a feeling of pure joy and pure dread. Castle had a habit of going a bit overboard with things, and, to be honest, Kate was a simple person; it didn't take a lot to please her.

"Fine, if you're going to be stubborn," Kate muttered, leaving with a playful glare and wandering back into the hallway. On her trip back to her car, she pulled out her phone to find a message from Castle, asking her to be at his house in an hour. Checking her watch, which read 5pm, that would make it 6pm she had to be there. At this point in her day, she was ready to just go home, have a warm bath, read a good book, and it wouldn't be honest to say that she didn't want Castle's company. But, knowing that Castle had something at his sleeve and an impromptu message rather than a call had her thinking that a quiet night was not what she would get.

Although, she checked the time on her message, and realized it had come at least 45 minutes ago at 4:45pm, meaning she had to be at Castle's in 15 minutes. Quickening her pace, she headed into the basement parking lot of the OCME building and made for her car, which was luckily only parked a few feet from where she stood. Climbing in, she put her phone in the glove compartment and turned on the engine, checking that she still looked reasonably presentable in her review mirror.

It was then she saw Lanie running not so subtly yet hastily toward her own car, a large bag in her hands that she tossed into the trunk of her car before she immediately pulled away, tyres screaming out of the structure.

_So whatever is going on is happening tonight_, Kate thought to herself, pulling out of her parking space and exiting the parking lot, driving calmly through the evening traffic towards SoHo. It didn't take her all that long, already being downtown, finding a space on the side of the street relatively close to Castle's building to park. Looking around, she saw the cars of Ryan and Esposito nearby, and, if she hadn't turned when she did, she would have missed Lanie's backside disappearing through the revolving doors.

Getting out, she breathed in the cool evening air, walking briskly across the street, noting out of the corner of her eye that her father's SUV was parked out front as well. She might not have known exactly what was going on, but Kate knew exactly who the victims would be later.

In the few moments it took her to get through the lobby and up the elevator to the penthouse, she pondered what it could possibly be, however, for some reason, she found she wasn't nearly close to minding anymore.

Reaching Castle's door, she found it closed yet locked, though still gave a quick rap of her knuckles to signal that she was in fact here.

"Come in!"

The overly excited voice of Castle was enough to make her face split into a smile as she pushed the door open.

"_SURPRISE_!"

Kate was speechless; she knew Castle liked to go over the top, but she didn't realize just how much. There were pale blue balloons and decorations _everywhere_, and there was a small stack of baby blue wrapped gifts beside the couch. Wherever she looked, Kate found either balloons, decorations, and all things blue and baby-themed.

"You are all in _so _much trouble!" Kate exclaimed, still chuckling as Castle came sauntering forward, his arms suddenly around her and his mouth on hers. Though the moment didn't last nearly as long as she would have liked, she was soon back to taking in the room around her.

"Well, I kinda had a feeling you might not want a decadent baby shower, so I figured if you didn't know, you couldn't object," Castle explained, grinning madly, as he guided her from the hip over to the accumulation of people, most of them sharing his cheek-to-cheek smile.

"Oh, I still object to decadence, but I think I can forgive you on this one," Kate replied.

"Really, and why is that?"

"Because it's not really for me," Kate began, "It's for the baby."

"So I'm forgiven?"

"For the shower? Yes, but for my newfound intolerance for baby blue…"

Chuckling to one another, Castle and Kate moved over to the couches where the congregation of workmates and family had gathered, and began gushing incessantly amongst one another about the pending arrival. As much as Kate felt she would normally find this a little too clichéd, she couldn't describe how this surprise baby shower made her feel. Her final thought, before she succumbed to the madness of the _huge_ package Lanie had prepared, was that it must be something good…

Because she couldn't stop grinning.

** X**

**I APOLOGIZE PROFUSELY FOR HOW LONG THIS TOOK! I REALLY DO! PLEASE DON'T EAT ME!**


	10. A Big Decision

**Hey y'all; Enjoy!**

** X**

"Castle, I'm not talking about this now –"

"Kate, it's kind of important –"

"It can wait until after the case is finished –"

"You're not on a case; you're on maternity leave!"

She hated admitting defeat, but he had her on that one; Captain Montgomery had ceremoniously thrown her out of the precinct until further notice, and she found that she had very little to fill her time. Unfortunately, Castle didn't seem to think so, pacing his living room while she sat frustrated on the sofa.

"Kate, seriously, this is a big deal –"

"Yeah, well, I need more time to think about it," she bit back, "We've still got time."

"Not that much time, Kate," Castle added quietly, "you're due in two months."

"So we've got two months –"

"No, Kate –"

"Castle, just stop it!"

She was sick of hearing his voice, and sick of listening to him badger her about this stupid living situation. As far as she was concerned, living at her apartment was completely fine right now. There hadn't been time to consider moving out, although, she had known the subject would be brought up sooner or later. But Castle needed to understand; she'd just been kicked out of the 12th, and was still trying to figure out what normal people did with their lives, let alone what they did when they were expecting a baby.

"Please, Castle, I'm just..." she began, her forehead resting in her hands, "I'm just a little out of it right now."

Slowly, Castle stopped pacing, sighing inwardly to himself as he made his way over to the couch, sitting gently beside Kate, an arm reaching around her shoulders. As pissed off as she was with him, letting her head fall to rest in the space between his neck and collarbone was all she was able to muster, her own fingers intertwining with his as they rested on her knee.

"I know," he began, "I know…"

Up until now, Kate had made a point of burying herself in work. She wasn't entirely sure why, but it meant that Castle wasn't constantly in her face and that she had some sort of distraction. Truth was, as much as she thought herself to be a level-headed person in light of most situations, her current one had her head spinning. She was freaking out.

"I just feel like it's all hit me once," Kate began, "almost like it wasn't real until now, like it was a just a dream. And I'm scared."

"What are you scared of?" Castle asked, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear as she sighed, her bottom lip ravaged between her teeth.

"I'm scared that…that maybe I'm not ready for this, or that I'm not going to be able to do this, or what if something goes wrong or something happens and –"

"Whoa, hey, Kate," he started, stopping her mid-sentence, her eyes darting up to his, wet and glazed, "first of all, there is nothing, and I mean nothing, that has ever happened to you that you couldn't handle. Second of all, you are not alone on this one, Kate…I'm not going anywhere."

There was a moment of silence, or maybe it was more…Kate wasn't entirely sure. Her eyes were fixed on the ground in front of her, where the rug ended and the hardwood began, the tassels at the ends crossing over each other haphazardly.

"Besides, Dr Neilson has told us that both you and the baby are perfectly healthy right now," he continued, "and we're going to keep looking after you so that you both stay that way."

Moments passed slowly, Kate's eyes fixed on the ground, Castle's fixed on her, their hands joined but still in the crook of their joint thighs. Neither of them were willing to speak, and both were holding their breath, in an attempt to prevent the tense silence from being broken.

"Thank you, Castle," Kate finally murmured, slowly raising her eyes from the ground to the blue of her partner's. They were soft, gazing at her with only a hint of concern, yet she could still see the glint of amusement and childish excitement in them. Although they had been otherwise occupied with arguing over Kate's apparently unfair house arrest of sorts, Castle still was unable to hide his sheer elation at the pending arrival.

"Now, I know you really, really don't want to talk about this, Kate, but –"

"We have to, I know," she replied, nodding gently, biting her lip. It made sense, really, for her to move in with Castle. It was far more convenient, considering he owned his loft, it was big enough for both her and the baby to make themselves at home in, and it would mean they were together. Still, Kate was having trouble giving up her independence, but she'd realized quite some time ago that, once the baby arrived, there really wouldn't be much time for her to worry about herself anymore.

"I think," she began, sighing, dropping her eyes momentarily, then lifting them again, taking a firmer grasp on Castle's hand as she continued, "I think it would be best if we were all together, of course, and, uh, my apartment isn't exactly equipped for two adults and a baby."

"Hmm, yes, well then, dear Kate, where oh where will you go?" Castle added in a sing song voice, grinning as he let out a small chuckle at Kate's rolling eyes, leaving her smiling herself as she looked once more at the floor, then back up again.

"I guess I'll just have to mooch off of you, won't I?"

"Oh, like you don't already?"

"As if I do –"

"You _so_ do!"

"I do not!"

"Do too!"

"Shut up, Castle!"

"She admits defeat, I win!"

With that, he gave her a quick peck on the cheek, amidst her narrowed eyes, before jumping up and quickly skitting off toward the kitchen, narrowly avoiding a swipe from Kate, who stared after him, smirking.

** X**

**I know, it's kinda short. Sorry. I'll try harder next time, I promise, but until then, I hope this tidbit suffices you.**

**Kayla x**


	11. Risky Business

**This story hasn't had a case in a while. And, well, I guess there won't be many more anytime soon.**

** X**

Kate sat alone in the loft. She was absent-mindedly flicking through TV channels, not paying any attention to what they were playing, she just kept flicking.

Admittedly, she was a little pissed off. Not at her loneliness, exactly, and not at Martha and Alexis for not being there either. They'd had offered to take her shopping with them, but Kate felt that she simply wasn't physically apt to one of Martha's marathons. She'd made that mistake before.

No, it was Castle. Well, by extension, Castle, but since he was more easily accessible than Captain Montgomery, she chose to be pissed off at him. Earlier in the day, Montgomery had called Castle, asking him urgently to the precinct. He had, however, been adamant about the fact that Kate was not to accompany him at all, nor be informed as to why he was going.

She shut the television off in anger, throwing the remote on the couch beside her, hands running through her hair in frustration. Slowly, but determined, she managed to get herself up off the couch and made for the telephone in the kitchen. She cursed Castle's couches at being so darn soft and comfortable; it made it extremely hard for her to get up these days.

Taking a hold of the handset, she dialled Castle's cell, jamming the receiver against her ear, waiting impatiently for a reply.

"Come on, Castle, pick up the god damn phone!"

"_Kate, is everything okay?"_

She could hear the panic in his voice, though it didn't phase her.

"I guess it depends on what you define as 'okay'," she muttered.

_Castle sighed; he knew she was disgruntled by the fact he had been called in to the 12__th__ and she hadn't. Truth was, Montgomery had needed a bit more brainpower, and, considering what they were dealing with, Castle could see why. It was a shame the case was so dangerous, or else Kate would have been extremely helpful._

"_Kate, now isn't really a good time –"_

"Oh really, well when _would_ be a good time?" she exclaimed, sounding angrier than she meant to.

"_Kate…"_

She huffed a sigh before she spoke, knowing her sniping wasn't necessary or warranted.

"Sorry," she spat, before taking a change of tone, sliding herself up onto a bar stool as she continued, "No, Castle, I'm not sorry. Who does Montgomery think he is to call you in when you're not even a cop, and why would _you_ agree to it?!"

"_Kate, you would have been called in too, had the case not been so risky –"_

"What's so risky about desk work?" Kate cried, "What's going on down there?!"

"_It's a federal case, Kate, I can't –"_

"A federal case?!"

She was shouting now, "What on earth could Montgomery possibly need from you on a federal case? You're not even a cop, you're a writer!"

"_Kate, please –"_

"Put Esposito on, or Ryan," she demanded, "I don't believe you –"

"_Kate, that's enough," Castle ordered, having now moved into the deserted break room, "believe me or don't believe me, but it's a federal case, I can't disclose information and you are safer where you are."_

"Castle, if it's just brainpower you needed, you know Montgomery could have called me in."

"_He thought the case might be too stressful for you –"_

"Too stressful?" Kate exclaimed, "Castle, what is going on down there? And if you don't tell me, I'm coming down there myself."

"_No, Kate, you won't," Castle growled, "You know the rules of a federal case, why are you being so unreasonable?"_

"Me? Unreasonable?!"

"_Okay, Kate, I'm sorry, calm down –"_

"No, you're not sorry," she shouted, "You're not sorry now, and you weren't sorry six months ago! All you care about is yourself!"

Without waiting for a reply, she hung up, slamming the handset on the bench, stomping off back toward the living room, bypassing it on her way to the bedroom. Pulling on some decent clothes, and struggling as best she could to get her boots on, she was determined to find out what was going on down at the 12th. She didn't even care about Castle at the moment; he wanted to be a jerk, let him be a jerk. Personally, she didn't have much time for jerks.

Grabbing a coat and a scarf, she stormed out of the apartment, into the elevator, jabbing the 'L' button with force enough that it hurt, but she didn't care. The elevator took too long, in her opinion, to reach the lobby, and once it did, she was a lit cannon out of there, climbing into the nearest taxi and practically screaming the 12th's address at him.

** X**

It was the inside of an elevator she felt like she hadn't seen in months. It was the same as it ever was, not as clean as it should be, clanking as it went, but still managed to make it to the Homicide division. Dinging, she felt a pang in the pit of her stomach, something that was a mix of excitement and anxiety all in one. Regardless, she stepped, chin high, out into the bullpen as she always did, to find it bustling more than usual.

She looked toward her desk, at which she could see the back of Castle's head, surrounded by Ryan, Esposito, Montgomery and another gentleman she did not know. All were focused on something Kate couldn't see from where she was standing, though she didn't seem to be able to stop herself from striding over.

"Beckett!"

Esposito's exclamation caused all five heads to turn, each of them sharing a different expression. Esposito and Ryan both look concerned, though she could see Esposito was on the cusp of angry. When she looked to Castle and Montgomery, however, they had both moved right past angry, both of them fuming in her direction. The unknown man simply looked confused and a little shocked if she were honest.

"You'll have to excuse us," Castle muttered to his colleagues, before taking Kate by the arm and dragging her unwillingly down the corridor, hiding in a quiet, side area where they couldn't be heard.

"Don't treat me like a child!" Beckett growled, snatching her arm away roughly from his grasp.

"I wouldn't have to if you weren't acting like one," Castle replied incredulously, "what the hell are you doing here, Kate?"

"I told you," she snapped, "I said if you wouldn't tell me I'd come here myself –"

"And _I_ told _you_ that it was a federal case!" he exclaimed, "I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to!"

Kate was almost laughing now at Castle's stupidity, at least, that's what she felt she was laughing at.

"You seriously think that Captain Montgomery would honestly care if you told me what was going on?" she asked, arms crossed, resting them on her stomach, which, she hadn't noticed until now, seemed lower than normal. She dismissed the thought, however, at Castle's still fiery face.

"No, but Agent Fallon would."

"Is that the other guy who was at _my_ desk?" she questioned, "Which, by the way, is _not_ yours."

"No, but I needed somewhere to work, didn't I?"

"You don't work here, Castle!" Kate cried, "You are not a cop! How many times do I have to explain it to you, or are you just that stupid?"

"Okay, I'm going to pretend you didn't just call me stupid –"

"Pretend all you want, it doesn't change the fact that –"

"Kate, what's going on –"

"Nothing is going on!"

There was an awkward silence between the pair, Castle's eyes still angry, yet confused and concerned as they stared into her fiercely antagonized green ones.

"I just can't believe how selfish you're being –"

"Oh, _me_ being selfish?" Castle exclaimed, "I'm not the one who is storming around town taking it out on everyone else because I can't come to work –"

"Well it's your fault anyway –"

"How is it my fault?"

"You're the one who got me pregnant!"

"It takes two to tango, Kate –"

"Don't be so immature –"

"Well, it's true –"

" – you stupid idiot, can't even –"

" – and you won't let me get a word in –"

" – you call yourself a writer, you know what, you're just so –"

" – when you're supposed to be reasonable, you're just being –"

" – selfish!"

" – selfish!"

They stood, staring at each other for a long moment, both brimming with fury. Kate was pissed, Castle was frustrated, and neither had noticed the arrival of Esposito at the head of the corridor.

"Uh, Castle?" he started cautiously, "We're having a briefing."

"Yeah, I'll be there in a sec, Esposito –"

"No!" Kate growled, "You are not going _anywhere_ until you tell me what's going on!"

"Beckett –"

"Stay out of it, Esposito."

"Kate, cut it out," Castle said simply, shocking Kate momentarily, enough for her to not have a reply, "go home. I'll see you there later."

"Castle, just tell me –"

"Beckett, he can't, none of us can –"

"Esposito, its fine," Castle reassured, glaring at a fuming Kate and gesturing with his head for Esposito to leave.

"Why is it so risky for me to know?" Kate questioned fiercely, "What's going on?"

"Kate, please, I can't tell you, but –"

"No buts, just tell me what I want to know –"

"Castle."

Montgomery's voice, although not loud, reached over Kate's in the small area they were arguing in. He looked frazzled, but in that moment, seemingly calm.

"You go on out to the briefing, I'll fill Beckett in," he said, directing Castle back into the main bullpen.

Kate had thought it so; Castle was being purely selfish, knowing that he was able to be on a case that she wasn't. It was childish, really, that he thought so much out of such a little case, and saying it was a federal one at that!

She thought this until Montgomery turned to her, his eyes ablaze.

"What do you think you're playing at, Beckett?" he snarled, "I told Castle to keep you at home!"

"I'm not a common house pet!" she exclaimed, "And considering I work here, I think I have a right to know!"

"Currently, you do not work here," Montgomery said sternly, "you are on official maternity leave, Kate."

"And I'm not to be on any cases, yeah, I got it," Kate muttered, "but Castle told me he was called in for brainpower, not horsepower."

"So?"

"So, why can't I help out?" Kate reasoned, still agitated, "I'm pregnant, not mentally challenged."

"The situation is too stressful, Kate –"

"Please, Sir," she interrupted, "if you need the help here, you know I can do it."

"I know you can," Montgomery replied quietly, "but I personally didn't want you in on this one."

"Why not?" Kate demanded, "What's so different about this one?"

"You know I can't tell you, Kate."

"Why is everyone so intent on keeping things from me?" she demanded.

"Because they care about you, Kate," he replied warmly, "and they don't want anything to happen to you or to your son."

It was the first time Kate had heard anyone refer to their baby as their 'son'. It was strange, really, when she thought about how long they'd known they were having a baby boy, but no one had said anything like what Montgomery just had.

"If this is so dangerous," Kate murmured softly, "then I want to help. Not just for me, but for everyone that _I_ care about too."

Montgomery looked at her solemnly, his anger from moments ago still in the back of his mind for her insolence, but he could also see her own rage had quietened. She was not upset, instead determined. He had never once met anybody with as much fire in a need to help others than her.

"If I let you in on this," Montgomery began, "and don't think this is me agreeing to it, can you promise me that you won't do anything that will put yourself in any sort of danger? And when I say that, I mean I'm considering chaining you to your desk so you can't escape."

Kate let an unintended grin onto her face for a split second, before looking at the seriousness in his gaze.

"What about the federal agent?" Kate asked.

"Fallon?" Montgomery added with a chuckle of his own, "I'll spin something; I got Castle in, didn't I? But Beckett?"

Kate looked straight into his eyes, where most of the anger had seeped out to form sincere concern.

"Please, for the love of god, be careful."

** X**

Beckett wandered out into the bullpen, where the last of the detectives in the 12th were filling up the space in front of a whiteboard. Kate assumed they were about to have their briefing. Agent Fallon caught sight of Montgomery and Kate, and walked over, looking outraged.

"What's going on here, Captain?" he demanded, "Who's she?"

"Agent Fallon, Detective Kate Beckett," Montgomery introduced curtly, "one of my finest and brightest detectives."

"I can't have a pregnant cop on my task force –"

"She doesn't work in the field," Montgomery interjected, "she works here, runs names, leads, views surveillance, better than most. I assure you, she'll be an asset to the team."

He gave Kate a quick once over, not looking very happy at all, but nodded and wandered back over to the whiteboard, shaking his head.

"Thank you, Sir," Beckett murmured, giving him a nod and a smile, before he too moved off, closer to Fallon.

Nudging Castle on the shoulder, he looked up to see Kate staring back at him. He moved quickly from her chair, holding it as she sat down wordlessly. They did not exchange much more than that look, and nor were they interested in doing so either, as they listened carefully, moreso for Kate, who had no idea what was going on, to Agent Fallon.

"Jamal Alhabi," he started, gesturing to a photo on the whiteboard, "he had his cousin, Amir, fashion a dirty bomb, and then he killed him. He's most likely the leader of our terrorist cell. Less than twelve hours ago, he disappeared. Along with the bomb. Now, at minimum, he'd need a van or an SUV to transport it. Jamal owns a moving company. So, check his trucks. Pull traffic video. Work his financials. Folks, we live here. Our families, our loved ones, our neighbors. I don't have to tell you what's at stake. Let's find him."

Kate immediately saw what everyone had been meaning behind the risky nature of the case. It was highly volatile, and Kate couldn't help but let a hand absent-mindedly run across her stomach as she thought about what it could mean if they didn't find the bomb. However, she shook the thought from her mind for the moment, right now, she had work to do, and it seemed she hadn't come into this case a moment too soon.

"Detective Beckett?"

She turned to find Agent Fallon staring at her, his eyes piercing hers, "Yes, sir?"

"See that you get up to speed on the case," he ordered, throwing a manila file just in front of her, "and then, do your job."

She watched him walk away, wondering what could possibly make him seem so unlikeable.

"You don't know what you've gotten into," Castle murmured angrily beside her, looking darkly in her direction as she turned to face him. She couldn't help but have a smug grin on her face as he spoke to her.

"I know," she said, holding up the manila file and giving it a wiggle, "that's what I've got to find out."

** X**

**So, I think I might leave it there for now. If you were wondering, this is set during 'Setup', closer to the end of the episode. Although Beckett wasn't there, you can assume all the case information is the same as it is in the original episode, because it is. **


End file.
